


Kissable

by ericsonclan



Series: We are Monsters, We are Proud AU [6]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:40:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24482908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Clementine wants to tell Louis she wants to be more than friends... but would that be right when the young frankenstein is only 8 months old?
Relationships: Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: We are Monsters, We are Proud AU [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1699969
Kudos: 14





	Kissable

**Author's Note:**

> (by Laura)

Clementine was surprised when Louis invited her over for a _Lord of the Rings_ movie marathon. She knew that his father was extremely strict about allowing visitors in the home given the government’s silencing order on Louis’ existence as a frankenstein and Louis’ own naivete given his young age. Louis had told her that his father was away for the weekend though, so she didn’t have to worry about an unpleasant confrontation with him. Clementine was honestly excited at the prospect of having some time alone with Louis. Not that anything was going to happen. 

Louis’ house was immense. Clementine had figured his father was well-off since he’d had the funds and means to illegally create a frankenstein, but she wasn’t expecting it to be a ten minute walk from his front gates to the front door. As soon as she rang the doorbell one of the double doors immediately swung open, Louis beaming at her behind it.

“Clem! Come in! Come in!” he motioned excitedly, stepping back to let her inside.

“Thanks for inviting me over,” Clementine felt awkward being in such a lavish house, but Louis’ presence made it feel a bit more normal. The boy was still dressed in his PJs and had fuzzy socks on which caused him to slide a bit as they walked along the marble floors. “Do you want something to eat?” Louis called over his shoulder, heading into the kitchen.

“No thanks, I ate before I came,” Clementine noticed Louis almost slip again. She quirked an eyebrow. “Doesn’t it bother you, always slipping on the tile floors?”

Louis shrugged. “A little bit. But it also allows me to do this!” Revving up, the boy got a quick start before letting himself slide the rest of the way to the fridge. He grabbed the fridge’s handle as a stopping point, but his hand popped off in the process, causing him to fall backwards and land unceremoniously on the floor.

“Louis! Are you OK?” Clementine asked in concern, running over to the fallen boy.

Louis was giggling. “Don’t worry. That happens all the time. Care to give me a hand?” He pointed towards the fridge where his left hand still grabbed the handle.

Clementine rolled her eyes but went to fetch it. It was quick work for Louis to reattach it. A pop and a snap and it was back in place. Clem wondered what it was like having such easily detachable limbs. She figured it would drive her nuts, but Louis didn’t seem to mind at all. Seeing the hijinks he got himself into never got old either. Clementine caught herself staring and quickly looked away. She couldn’t let herself get caught up in this crush. Louis was only 8 months old! 

“I’m going to get us some snacks then we can start up _Fellowship_ ,” Louis said, clearly oblivious to her inner turmoil. “You can go ahead and head into the main living room. I’ll catch up,”

“And where would that be exactly?”

“Head through those doors and make a right. Then take the first left you see, through the game room, down the hall and it’s the third door on your right,”

“OK…” I’m totally getting lost. She didn’t want to seem like a wimp in front of Louis though, so Clementine held her head high as she exited the room, acting as though she were completely certain of where she was going.

\---

She got lost. Three times. She did find a bathroom which was handy, but after recognizing that she had entered the same hallway as she had five minutes ago, Clementine felt like collapsing on the floor and just giving up.

“Clem?” Louis’ voice echoed through the halls. “Where’d you go?”

“I’m over here!” she called, feeling like a complete dolt for needing his help.

Louis’ head popped out from around the corner. “Aha, found ya!” He scurried over to Clementine, shuffling his feet quickly to stop at the appropriate spot on the floor. “I should’ve just had you wait with me and then headed over to the living room with you. It took me months to figure out where everything was here,”

They headed in the correct direction in companionable silence, reaching the living room in a matter of minutes. Louis plopped down casually on the massive sofa, motioning for Clementine to join him. She did so hesitantly, unsure of exactly where to sit. Too close to him and it’d be invasive, but too far away and it’d come across as awkward.

“Don’t worry, there’s plenty of space to spread out,” Louis assured her, tossing his legs on top of a cushioned stool that stood nearby. In the end Clementine decided on compromising, sitting several inches away with a couple of cushions between them. They started the first movie, and Clementine immediately found herself getting drawn into the film. Louis hadn’t seen any of the movies or read the books before so she found herself filling in a lot of the details for him. Still, he seemed to be enjoying the movie quite a bit, laughing at all the comedic scenes and gasping in shock at the tensest moments. 

As much as she loved the trilogy, Clementine soon found herself watching Louis’ expressions more than the film. She loved the way his eyes would crinkle in excitement with each and every twist of the story and how his dreadlocks swayed as he bounced on the couch, barely able to contain his anticipation when something big was about to happen. She found herself wondering if any parts of himself were unique to him or if every piece came from a cadaver his father had gotten his hands on. It was strange to imagine Louis as anything other than alive. His very presence illuminated every room he walked into. He seemed like a celebration of life given form.

Though she often found herself distracted, Clementine was able to keep up with Louis’ running commentary and provide some insights of her own that had Louis chuckling at her humor or impressed by her wit. Conversation was easy between them, flowing naturally with each passing minute. Clementine was surprised at how quickly they got through the first movie and started the second. Spending time with Louis felt effortless like she’d always done it even though Clementine had only known him for about six months. 

A few minutes into the second movie, Louis flopped over to the side, his head resting on Clementine’s pile of pillows. If she’d been distracted before, Clementine found it nearly impossible to pay attention to the movie now. Was this some sort of move on Louis’ part. No, he would never think of anything like that. He was too young to know what flirting was at all. Still, she found her mind wandering with the temptation to run a hand gently through his dreadlocks and play with them while they watched. Clementine resisted the urge, but it never fully left her mind.  
They eventually came up to one of Clementine’s favorite scenes: the creation of the Urukhai. She was always impressed with how realistic the scene looked: the new breed of orcs being ripped from their birth sacs, covered in slime and blood and ready to kill. It was grimey and gorey and glorious. Clementine looked over at Louis to see if he was enjoying the scene. His brow was furrowed and he looked somewhat confused. Was it too scary for him?

Then Clementine realized something: this was probably the closest Louis had ever gotten to experiencing a live birth. Even his own birth had been unconventional, likely in some sort of oversized tube like you’d see in a mad scientist’s lab. Now that Clementine though of it, she had no idea what the process of his creation looked like. Was it something like this? Had she unintentionally triggered Louis by showing him this?

Louis caught her concerned stare and sat up, offering her a smile. “Sorry, am I distracting you from a movie? I was just wondering how similar this is to regular birth or if it’s totally made up,”

“I mean, it’s definitely nothing like human birth,” Clementine paused, wondering if she should continue. “Do you remember how you were born? Or is that too private of a question to ask?”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t really remember much of my first few days. My dad was still adjusting parts of me and my brain was getting used to all my surroundings. I had a lot of information sort of uploaded directly into it, so it was a lot to catch up on. But it wasn’t really a birth, more like a really long visit to the doctor’s office if what I’ve seen on TV is anything to go by,”  
He was so calm talking about all of this. She supposed it made sense. It was his life after all. 

Clementine glanced down at Louis’ hand on the pillow beside her. Who had it belonged to before? Another teenage boy?

“Some of my parts are borrowed if that’s what you’re wondering,” Louis said, raising the hand. “Stuff like my face was grown synthetically by my dad so he could get it just the way he wanted, but he didn’t want the growing process to take years and years so he found other sources for some of the bigger parts like my arms and legs. My dad explained it to me as sort of giving these parts a new lease on life. It’s sort of like a small part of me gets to connect with each person who helped give me life. I don’t exactly have parents in the normal sense, but I have all of them,” Louis’ expression was warm at those words. His eyes widened as he placed a hand on his chest. “Oh, and my heart is the most important piece of all! That came from my mom. I never got to meet her, but my dad wanted to make sure that I had part of her with me, so we’d all be together always. A family,” 

Clementine felt as though her heart would burst as she looked at Louis. He was so kind-hearted, so loving, so good. To think there were people out there who hated him just because of how he’d been made… clearly they’d never met him. She couldn’t imagine anyone not liking Louis the moment they met him. And this feeling inside her when she looked at him was a lot stronger than merely liking him. It had been for a long time. She looked up into Louis’ eyes, seeing a glint of recognition in them. Could he tell what she was thinking? Clementine felt her heart thump within her chest at the possibility.

Louis awkwardly cleared his throat, looking off to the side. “I have a confession to make, Clem. I didn’t call you over here just to watch The Lord of the Rings with me. That’s been awesome, don’t get me wrong… but there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,”

Clementine’s mouth was dry as she answered. “Go on,”

“Well, we’ve known each other for a long time now, at least long for me. Three quarters of my life actually. And I know you probably don’t see me as anything else than that dorky guy you saved from bullies the first time you met me, but…” his eyes shone as he raised them. “When I look at you I can’t help but wonder if there’s something more there. Something beyond friendship,”

Was this really happening? Clementine felt herself growing giddy on the inside, though her exterior remained calm and contained. She wasn’t sure how to proceed here. Would it be the right choice to start something with Louis when he was so young, so inexperienced? Not that she had any sort of sating experience, but hell, he didn’t even know how to ride a bike yet! What would his father think if he found out she and Louis were dating? Would he forbid them from seeing each other and lock Louis up even tighter within this gilded cage of a home? She didn’t want to make things harder for Louis when he already had so many obstacles life had thrown his way.

Louis’ face fell as he saw the uncertainty in Clementine’s eyes. “Sorry I asked. I get that it was a long shot. Forget I ever said anything,”

“No, Louis!” Clementine exclaimed, instinctively grabbing his hand. She felt him flinch at the gesture, then relax into her touch. Their eyes met again, and Clementine knew. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. Maybe there were a thousand obstacles in their path. But she wanted to be with Louis and he wanted to be with her. That was worth fighting for. Slowly she leaned forward, her face drawing closer to Louis’. He seemed surprised but didn’t draw back. Clementine moved closer and closer until she was only a breath away. Then she closed the gap, her lips meeting Louis’ in their first kiss. His lips were warm and soft and perfect. 

The kiss was over all too soon. Clementine drew back, feeling the blood rushing through her ears from the speed at which her heart was thumping. Glancing over at Louis, she saw he looked equally overwhelmed, a look of shock on his face. 

Then a smile broke out on his face and he chuckled giddily. His eyes met Clementine’s. “Can we do that again, please?”

Clementine couldn’t help but smile in a way that mirrored his own, leaning in to kiss Louis once more. His lips met her more eagerly this time. They were both inexperienced, but certainly willing to dedicate the time to learn. The kisses kept coming, some quick and playful, some slow and deep. Neither of them was sure how things would work out once all the challenges they’d face would come to the surface, but they were sure of one thing: they wanted to face them together.


End file.
